Since their
introduction in the early '60s, trawler yachts have stretched
the boundaries of te powerboating horizon. Bob Armstrong tells
why cruisers love trawler yachts.

The pilothouse of a
Kadey-Krogen 42 clearly shows traces of her
commercial-fishing heritage.

Dick
Loh, sales manager for Grand Banks, perhaps the oldest name in
trawler yachts, tells a story. He was delivering a brand new
boat to her owner when he overheard a youngster on the dock
comment, “Look at that nice old boat, dad. The owner must have
taken very good care of her.”
Dick smiles as he tells it, but the story does raise a coupe
of basic questions. In a day when “state of the art,” “sleek,”
and “Eurostyle” are such common buzzwords, why would anyone
want a book that already looks “old” the day they took
delivery? And, considering the popularity of flying fuel
tanks, those needle-nosed guided missiles that seem able to
hit warp speed on the water-even in megayacht size-why would
one want a boat that can never even come close?

The
truth is that most trawler yacht owners don’t give a hoot for
either the rocket-like appearance of a reverse-shear foredeck
or the go-fast performance of a planning hull. A group more
likely to join Tevyeh in a rousing chorus of “Tradition!” than
to sing “Tomorrow” with Annie, these people like the familiar
look and the comfortable, seakindly feel that trawler yachts
provide. They also like the greater space allowed in the
accommodations plan; and they love the greater cruising
range. In shot, trawler yacht owners go for a style of boating
that is nearly as old as seafaring itself.
Yet this is not to say that trawler yachts or their owners
are old-fashioned. Far from it. The yachts themselves are now
generally built with as many “state of the art” features as
circumstances require.

Because they have
mostly pure displacement of semi-displacement hull forms,
trawler yachts don’t need the lightness-for-lightness’-sake
construction often employed in much faster boats. Yet, in
today’s trawler yachts, you will see such
strength-by-design-rather-than-bulk techniques as cored
decks and superstructures. You’ll also see them equipped (in
every area from nav station to galley to entertainment
centers) with high-tech apparatus.
If you look at trawler yachts, possibly the most important
thing you’ll notice is that they are being used! Because,
though they don’t necessarily impress the yuppie crowd,
trawler yachts more than make up for it in their ability to
go to sea.

But Are They
Trawlers?To the purist, the answer to this question is a
resounding “NO!” In his eyes, only a working, pay-load
carrying, fish-gatherer deserves to be called a trawler. But
the term “trawler-yacht” persists. And the why is rooted in
history.
Back in 1962, FRP construction had already begun to change
the way boats looked. Shapes which

previously had been
difficult or impractical to build via other techniques became
easily molded. At that time, John Newton got the idea that
there might still be a market for a traditionally styled,
long-range cruising yacht. John and his brother Whit owned
American Marine, Ltd., a then eight-year-old custom yard
located in Hong Kong. They hired Connecticut naval architect
Ken Smith to design a boat, which was dubbed the Grand Banks
36.
Partly because of the deep-sea fishing image conjured up by
the name, and partly because of the various traditional
workboat lines which were amalgamated into the Grand Banks
design, the boating public came to call the boat a “trawler”
and the appellation stuck.
Traditional construction as well

as style (Grand Banks models sported wooden
hulls until well into the 1970s), the
original 36 still departed from true trawler designs in
several ways. Most obvious perhaps, was the absence of working
gear and a fish hold, as well as the addition of spacious,
comfortable living quarters. Not so obvious – because it
occurs below the waterline – was the semi-displacement hull.
Gone (along with the payload) was the true trawler’s need for
deep draft and with it, full displacement. Through some
trawler yachts do have some pure displacement hulls, the
semi’s ability to deliver slightly better speeds while
retaining much of the full-displacement hull’s fuel
thriftiness helped prove Newton’s theory to be correct.

The Grand Banks 36 caught on with the
long-range segment of the cruising crowd and
eventually spawned 38, 42, 46, 48, 50, 57
and 62-foot models. It also encouraged the
creation of a number of similar competitors,
literally defining a “trawler yacht” segment
in the marine marketplace.

Up,
Up, And AwayThe popularity of trawler yachts is
largely related to their ability to carry a
fair load under a wide variety of sea
conditions. And that is a direct result of
hull form. All hulls are in a displacement
mode at rest. Planing hulls attain speed by
being able to get up out of the water to run
literally on its surface rather than through
it. They do so via a combination of
horsepower, comparative light weight, and
hull lines which create lift.
Lift both requires and contributes to hydrodynamic
(moving) stability, and is usually dependent
on speed. This often put planning hulls in
the Catch-22 situation of needing to go fast
to have proper stability. When
sea conditions aren’t conducive to speed,
the boat becomes less stable and thus less
comfortable and less efficient. Even under
ideal conditions, a planning hull’s need for
lightness runs counter to carrying the
amount of gear, fuel and supplies dictated
by the needs of long-range cruising.
At the risk of slightly over-simplifying, let me say that
displacement hulls essentially rely on
hydrostatic (not moving)
stability under way. This means they can’t
move as fast as a planning hull – since they
are moving through the water, rather than
over it – but can often maintain a steady
speed even under sea conditions which would
require planning hulls to slow down anyway.
And since displacement hulls maintain stability and
efficiency while moving slowly (neither of
which can usually by said for planning
hulls), they are ideal for carrying the load
of fuel and stores you need to travel long
distances. Add the fact that it usually
takes relatively little horse power to
achieve displacement hulls can go a long way
on little fuel.
The low horsepower requirement for
displacement speeds is a big reason many
trawlers and trawler yachts are driven by a
fairly small single engine. Indeed, the only
reason for using twin screws in most

trawler yachts are driven by a fairly small
single engine. Indeed, the only reason for
using twin screws in most trawler yachts is
to gain close quarters maneuverability and
the supposed “safety factor” of a “back-up”
engine.
Even with a full cruising “payload” of fuel, stores, gear and
guests, most trawler yachts these days can
be light enough that, with a slight
modification of underbody form and a modest
increase in horsepower, they can move from
pure displacement in the “semi-displacement”
mode in which they lift part way up,
reducing the amount of hull moving through
the water. This is, in many ways, the best
of both worlds: nearly the same seakeeping
qualities, slightly faster speeds, and only
slightly reduced economy. For many it’s an
ideal combination for pleasure cruising.

The
Way It IsIn 1968, American Marine, Ltd. Moved to
Singapore and set up a yard which continues
to produce all models of Grand Banks built
today. And while Grand Banks was the first
and continues to be a leading marque, it is
by no means the only “trawler” available.
Today, builders all over the world offer
models bearing that designation, models
ranging from full-displacement designs so
similar to their commercial fishing
forebears that you can almost smell the
halibut to high-powered “speedsters” (it’s
all relative) that can nearly pull a skier.
But, not so strangely, most fall basically
in the middle.
Among the builders currently in the marketplace are Albin
Marine, a Swedish company that offers a wide
range of stock, custom, and semi-custom
trawler yachts, and Kong & Halvorsen, whose
Island Gypsy line is produced at yards in
Hong Kong and mainland China.
The former started out building engines (around the turn of
the century) and produced its first boat in
1925. The latter has its roots directly in
the “trawler” business and came into being
when company president Harvey Halvorsen
(formerly the Australian distributor for
Grand Banks) met his late partner Joseph
Kong (formerly American Marine’s production
manager) in a business trip in 1972.
Both Albin and K&H boats carry the simulated planked hull
that adds so much to the traditional

look.
They also fill their interiors with an
abundance of rich, hand-fitted teak.
Other trawler yacht builders include Kadey-Krogen, one of the
few current producers of full-displacement,
round-bottomed hulls; Marine Trading
International, a New Jersey-based firm which
imports boats from Hong Kong; Hinterhoeller
Power Yachts, which entered the trawler
market by default last year when it assumed
production of a 31-footer for a small
builder that was overwhelmed with orders;
and Sabreline, producers of light
displacement, so-called “fast” trawlers with
traditional styling. Montgomery Yacht and
Shipbuilding, a small firm based in
Maryland, also recently entered the fray
with its 49 Coastal, a full-displacement
boat whose pilothouse profile proudly boasts
of its commercial heritage.
Dozens of other builders (the above list is by no means
complete) have ventured in and out of the
trawler market over the years, but the boats
themselves, with the exception of a general
trend toward larger power plans and more
modern amenities, have yet to change in a
significant way. Perhaps it’s because of
hide-bound tradition. More likely the genre
was simply done right in the first place.